This invention pertains to a gurney or stretcher adapted to carry a disabled patient from one place to another, ordinarily from the locale of the disablement to an ambulance.
In most cases of sudden disablement whether by illness such as stroke or heart attack or by sudden accidental injury, it is necessary to transport the patient from the locale where the disablement occurred to an ambulance and then to a hospital or similar facility. Present gurneys or stretchers are adequate in many instances where the patient and the ambulance are near the same level. However, where it may be necessary to go up or down stairs, the use of a current type of device may be difficult. The carrying of a stretcher having only a straight rod for a handle when that rod must be carried at a considerable slope is difficult enough. Further, the patient in some cases is apt to be tilted more than may be desirable.
By the present invention a gurney is provided having handles placed and adapted to give the handlers a much easier and more convenient device to use on stairways and steep slopes. The handles are moveable between positions to make the device adaptable to carrying uses.